Once you have identified your interests (Step 1), you are ready to start researching the types of career options available that are compatible with your interests. Here are some ways in which you can research career options:
The Work Room Career Resource Centres
The Work Rooms are designed specifically for this purpose. You can find out more information on any career you choose. Important things to consider in your research would be wages, education requirements, labour market information (ie: Are there any job openings in the field?) and a description of the job-specific duties. The Work Rooms have an online tool to help people collect information and start their career planning.
Career Cruising is an online career planning tool that helps you collect and
review your career-related information in one place. It offers a search
engine to explore a huge career database and can help you find careers that
match you based on your interests. The information is current,
comprehensive and applicable to the Canadian job market. What's more, the Work Rooms have site licenses that
allow people to set up a free account so that they can access the information 24 hours a day from any computer!
This is an extremely popular service as it compliments today's busy lifestyles.
Guidance Counselors
If you are a student, your school has guidance counselors that can provide you with information to help guide you in planning your career.
Employment Counselors/Career Consultants, Post-secondary Education, Training and Labour
If you are in receipt of Employment Insurance benefits, are currently unemployed, or seeking a career change, employment counselors at Post-secondary Education and Training are available to discuss career planning and education options with you. Career consultants have the ability to administer career-related assessment tools, counsel clients on career choices and provide information on training alternatives and labour market information. This team approach is very effective in helping people build successful careers.
Case Managers, Department of Social Development
If you are a client of the Department of Social Development, your case manager specializes in working with people to develop career plans. If post-secondary training is a component of the career plan, case managers and clients have the option to partner with employment counselors to work towards self-sufficiency.
The Internet
The internet is a great place to start collecting information on careers. The downside is that it can be very time-consuming if you don't know where to start.
A good starting point is exploring the types of industries in New Brunswick/Canada is through the link on our
follow template. The information provided is not an exhaustive list of resources, just enough to point you in
the right direction and get you started. You can always to to one of our Work Room coordinators for more
information on an industry. You just may find a job or career path that matches your interests!
Additional links to explore:
Information Interviews
One of the most effective ways to research a career is to find someone who is employed in the career field you are interested in and interview them. Most people are willing to talk about their career and this can be a very easy way to get an idea if a career is a good match for you before you spend a great deal of time, money and energy.
Hopefully, your research will generate some possible career options. Once you have a career choice (or a couple), you are ready to move to Step 3: Creating Your Action Plan.